Amplitude defects are characterized by a drop or reduction in the amplitude or signal level, for example in a signal that is read back from storage (e.g., magnetic storage). One cause of an amplitude defect in magnetic storage applications is an uneven distribution of magnetic media on a storage disk. The signal read back from the part of the disk having a thinner distribution of magnetic media will have a lower signal amplitude than a signal read back from a thicker part of the disk. It would be desirable to develop new techniques for handling amplitude defects.